In Which Jaune moves in
by CasuallyPosting
Summary: After the defeat of Salem, Jaune Arc left on a journey to find himself. Now that a year has passed, he is returning to Vale as promised. The knight's original plans are shattered as the RWBY girls reenter his life. How will the returnin goofball of their friend group deal with living in the same home as four beauties hell bent on making up for lost time? (Stand alone from IWJ)


**Following the defeat of Salem and her inner circle, the only threat remaining were the Grimm still present on Remnant. No longer needed on the frontline, Jaune took a year off from Huntsman work to catch up with family and travel the world.**

 **With his self-imposed vacation finished, the knight is returning to Vale in order to continue his work. While talking with an ecstatic Ruby about his return, he mentioned that he planned on buying an apartment upon his arrival and going from there, so he wouldn't be imposing on any of his friends.**

 **Unknowingly, the girls of RWBY had gotten together and agreed that they wouldn't be having any of that and the knight would join them in the house that they all shared. How will the returning goofball of their friend group deal with living in the same home as four beauties hell bent on making up for lost time?**

 _ **(This is a reupload of an original one-shot story from my series In Which Jaune that a lot of you wanted to see made into its own thing. Please enjoy this edited version and read the A/N at the end for information on how this is going to work and how you can help me out with this story!)**_

* * *

 _ **Vale Air Docks: 4 p.m.**_

"Why is it that every time I ride one of these stupid things a long distance something makes the trip take longer than expected…" a very disgruntled and green looking Jaune Arc groaned as he stumbled out of the Bullhead that brought him from the outskirts of Vacuo back to the main city of Vale.

Nothing much about the lanky teen turned man had really changed over his year long absence. At the age of 21, Jaune filled out the simple attire he wore now.

Long gone was the Pumpkin Pete hoodie and oddly fitting armor. Instead, he donned a simple black t-shirt that was covered by a white leather jacket with golden trim around the edges. His jeans survived the change, as did his boots – though they were of a higher quality then what he was used to.

Along his trip he had decided the only defense he needed was his sword since he had become so much stronger throughout their fight with the Grimm Queen. That sword was strapped to a sturdy belt that wrapped around his waist.

The tall blonde forced down the familiar, queasy feeling rising in his gut as the mechanical beast he had ridden in for the past half-day lurched one last time before meeting the dirt below.

His original flight was supposed to take half the time this one did, but a flock of fleeing Nevermore forced the captain to make a detour since the aircraft was built for speed rather than combat.

Grabbing his large, hiking-style bag from the overhead bin near his seat, the former Beacon student was quick to fasten the straps around his shoulders and disembark the deathtrap before It could force one of his former namesakes to resurface in all of its messy glory.

Taking the stairs of the dismount ramp two at a time, he reached the concrete floor of Vale in no time. Enjoying the solid feel that only the deep earth could bring to his senses, he let himself relax and take in the large buildings.

Having spent the last several months surrounded by the flat deserts of the Vacuoan wilds, the multi-storied buildings and bustling streets full of cars, bikes and people.

"Been a while since I left here…" he spoke in a quiet, wistful tone – stepping off to the side to avoid the people crowding out of the terminal and into the main flow of citizens.

He was caught up in the nostalgic sights – so caught up that he failed to see the wiggling blonde fin sticking up amongst the heads of the swimming crowd, ever so carefully approaching him.

By the time he reeled his wandering thoughts, it was far to late to avoid his fate.

The unknown offender struck quickly and efficiently – snaring the unwitting prey within strong arms and lifting him into the air in a tight hold.

"Hey there Jauney!"

From his constricting position – once more with his feet off the ground – he tried to send a smile down at his now identified attacker. The backbreaking hug was a telltale sign it could only be two of his closest friends, and one of those friends was in Mistral.

"N-nice to see you too Yang… can you let me down?"

His voice was strained due to a lack of oxygen in his currently compressed lungs, but his fellow blonde seemed content to keep him close.

"Awww, don't tell me you didn't miss your me," Yang Xiao-Long shot a victorious smirk up at him – one that showed she knew he couldn't argue that.

"Of course, I missed you! I just want to b-breathe…" the world began to swim in his vision and he could feel himself slipping slowly into unconsciousness.

The brawler holding him giggled and released her grip just enough to let his lungs greedily suck in air, but not letting him break away.

"I knew it. No one can come so close to this fire without getting burned."

The smug smile on the bombshell's face was soon turned to a pout at the hands of her captive.

"You do realize that getting burned in that analogy is a bad thing, right? I didn't know you thought of yourself so negatively hotshot."

Her eyes snapped to meet his – seeing them full of mirth with a broad smile that she had missed seeing after their seven-strong group split up over a year ago. Or… three of them… the remainders of JNPR, splitting up to quell their demons while her team forged onward to a happy-ever-after.

She had only spoken to Blake about it once, but she felt guilty that she didn't try to convince Jaune into joining their group in Vale right away. Instead she watched him draw back into himself and disappear into the night – leaving only the promise to answer their calls and return in a year.

The two blondes had really bonded over their lack of partner back when Yang first rejoined the hunting party at Haven. But when Blake and Sun showed up to help in the early days of their march against Salem, she lost that connecting factor and had to watch as her team healed, and the JNR trio held themselves together.

Now however, she had the chance to right a few wrongs – all she had to do was…

"-ang? Yang?!"

She rapidly blinked and saw the concerned face Jaune was giving her.

"What?"

"You were just staring at me and then kinda faded into a thousand-yard stare…"

She was touched by his concern and allowed a much more genuine and calm smile to grace her features.

"Look at you Jauney, not back for ten minutes and you are already back to worrying about me. Seems like nothing has changed."

His laugh that joined her own made her think back to better times. Times when she and her team weren't looked upon as larger than life and could just spend the days with JNPR doing whatever their hearts desired.

Those days might be long gone, but she still felt herself relax into his embrace as he returned the hug. Something that he would never have done before he left.

"I didn't expect you to be the first person to greet me when I decided to show up."

His statement broke the comfortable silence and the pair broke apart their embrace reluctantly for the more curvaceous of the two blondes.

"Oh? And why would give you that impression Vomit Boy?" she teased back.

"Ruby."

"Fair point."

That was the end of their conversation. Neither feeling the need to explain the oddity that was Ruby Rose.

"So, I assume I won't be walking out of here and continuing with my initial plans?" the knight shot her a knowing look – clearly expecting further shenanigans.

"You assumed correctly. Come along Sir Knight, we have much to catch up on once we return to the palace."

The brawler grabbed his hand and began guiding him forcibly towards the parking garage near the platform.

"Return to the castle? Where are you taking me?"

A smirk from over her shoulder was his only response as the entered the garage and stopped in front of a familiar motorcycle. Bumblebee if he remembered the name correctly.

Straddling the bike and puling on a pair of aviators, his fellow blonde patted the seat behind her. Already cringing at the potential events that might come from riding this fast vehicle with someone as reckless and thrill seeking as Yang – he reluctantly took the seat.

Sidling his way up behind her, he could practically feel her smirk at his awkwardness.

"Hold on tight Jauney. Wouldn't want you to get hurt on the way home."

Knowing what she meant, he tentatively wrapped his arms around her waist – enjoying the warmth she gave off compared to the cold air of the Valeian winter that surrounded them.

With a slight hum from both her and the bike, the duo shot off from their position and began working their way through the traffic in the city.

Had this been years ago – specifically back when he was still a freshman at Beacon – he probably would have been screaming like a little girl while holding in his lunch during the speed trip he was currently a part of.

Now that he was a mature-ish adult, he was only forcing down his lunch and holding tightly onto his giggling source of security that was also the source of his turmoil.

It didn't last long – as the residential district of Vale wasn't that far from the docks – and soon enough Jaune could open his eyes again and look upon the fairly large, two-story house that Yang had parked in front of.

Moving her bike slowly forward, she opened the garage and pulled into it. Stopping right next to a normal looking, red car.

"Not that I don't appreciate a good cuddle, but we do have stuff to do today lover boy," Yang teased as she leaned back into the ironclad grip of her passenger.

Said passenger blushed a deep crimson and jumped quickly to his feet. Trying mightily to avoid the smirk and laugh of his recent tormentor.

He didn't even try to argue or fight against her as she grabbed his arm and led him through the door to the main home.

"Honey I'm home!" the brawler called as she dragged Jaune into the house.

They entered through the kitchen and moved into the a very well furnished and comfortable living area. Yang took a few steps away from him and was tackled by a familiar red blur.

"Yang! You're back! How was your mission?" the ever-excitable Ruby Rose spoke a mile a minute as she clung to her sister's body in a mixture of a tackle and a hug.

"Oh, that little job? Finished it in record time and even picked you up a little something before I came back!"

"Whadja get me?! Whadja get me?!"

God how Jaune had missed seeing the childlike innocence of Ruby and her interactions with their friends. But what had Yang gotten her? He didn't see any package or trinket during the time they spent together on their way here.

With one slick movement, Yang maneuvered herself to the side – allowing the smaller girl hanging off of her to see behind her. This led to two different reactions from the other two people in the room.

Jaune saw her move and shoot a beaming smile his way before electric blue met wide silver. Realizing what she meant – he met her smile with a tired sigh and roll of his eyes, accepting his fate.

The reaction from Ruby almost made him forgive Yang… almost.

Her wide eyes locked onto his form and seemed to become laser focused. He saw her release her hold from her older sister and he was already bracing himself for what years of experience around both the smaller girl and his own very affectionate teammate told him was coming.

In the next second he was rocketed into by a blur of black, red and rose petals – flying back from his standing position to land on the couch. He felt the small arms wrap around his chest in an attempt to force their bodies into one being.

The weight finally settled on top of him as his face was mere inches from the incredibly radiant smile of his first friend from Beacon.

"Jaune!"

He groaned after the impact – weakly giving the small huntress atop him a grin.

"Hey Rubes…"

"You didn't say you were coming back today! You said you would tell me when you were coming back!"

The statement was clearly meant to be one of anger or maybe sadness, but the grin on her face didn't falter once throughout.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but apparently little miss snoopy over there dragged the information out of Nora and decided to head me off and drag me here."

The look he sent to Yang was met with a wink and a kiss blown in his direction.

Turning back to face the smiling brunette, he continued.

"The plan was to head over to the old apartment complex my older sister Olivia stayed at when she went to school here in Vale and get a place set up for myself before I let you all know I was back. Now however, I don't think I am going to be doing much of anything in that regard."

The look the two sisters shared before looking back to him all but confirmed his theory.

"Yup! Yang! Order Chinese from the place down the road! I'm going to get Jaune settled in before Blake gets back!"

Taking her former leader's orders in stride, the standing blonde rushed off while dialing a number on her scroll.

Jaune looked down the flower themed girl sprawled out over him.

"Settled in? Rubes I don't need the red-carpet treatment for one night…"

A look crossed her face at that moment – one that he only equated to her when one of her many schemes or pranks was already in the works back at Beacon or while they traveled the wilds together after the Fall.

He shot a very cautious and wary gaze down to his captor.

"Rubes… What are you planning?"

She had the decency to at least _seem_ a bit sheepish, but the underlying proud look in her eyes did nothing to lessen his worry.

"Well… once we finally settled everything after we took down Salem and you, Nora and Ren all went off to do your own things… all of us on RWBY decided we didn't want to go our separate ways again after everything that we went through."

He could understand why they thought that way – he had been originally reluctant to leave Ren and Nora, but after talking with them he decided it was for the best.

She took his silence as her que to continue.

"So, we all pitched in and used some of the… generous funds we got for saving the world to buy this really nice house and we all moved in together while continuing our own jobs and projects. And once we heard you were coming back after so long…"

He was starting to form at least a semi-decent picture of where this conversation was leading in his head.

"We had a meeting and talked about a lot of things. We all missed you a lot – yes, even Weiss," she said when she saw his raised brow.

"After I spent nearly a year traveling with you… I just really missed being able to wake up and have you around for whatever reason. You kinda make the whole group work better dynamically – especially after the seven of us spent so long together during the crusade. So… after some debate we came to a unanimous decision."

Her eyes sharpened into a dangerous glint – as if to ensure he would not try to escape from what she was about to decree.

"We, team RWBY, as the owners of this house and your closest friends within the continent of Vale, do decree that you, Jaune Arc, have no choice but to take up residence in one of the empty rooms of the household currently occupied by nothing but close friends."

Yeah, he pieced together where this was going before she actually said it, but hearing his closest friend not from the remains of JNPR actually say it still shocked him.

"Uh… I don't think that would be smart Ruby. Me living with the four of you would… probably be a little awkward for all parties involved. Not to mention the rumors that might come about in the media once they catch wind of my arrival," curse the constant media coverage that Pyrrha had always loathed.

He couldn't tell whether Ruby looked readier to cry out of protest or use the sharp end of Crescent Rose to teach him a lesson.

"Cram it Vomit Boy."

Yang had returned and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, forcing his head back against her generous bosom.

Had this been even as soon as when she first rejoined their group at Haven a few years back, he would have been a blushing and stammering mess at the gesture. But over the years spent together – he discovered that when not able to be side to side with someone this was her favorite position in this scenario.

Her lilac orbs caught his blue ones in a meaningful gaze.

"We already accepted that other people might think it's weird, but we don't care. Plus, you can't say it will be awkward when not only did you live with all of us for literal years before your little self-discovery trip, but you also lived with eight other women for most of your life. Seven sisters remember?"

He knew he was backed into a metaphorical corner at this point – both sisters knowing exactly what they wanted out of this made it harder to argue back.

"Yeah! You even shared a tent with Blake after we left Haven! No excuses Jaune!"

That detail screwed over any argument he could have shot back with.

"I am going to take a wild guess and say I don't have a choice in this?"

If the victorious smirk on Ruby's face and how the arms around him tightened, then he already knew the answer.

Sighing, he fully leaned back into Yang's grip and closed his eyes.

"Fine."

A squeal of joy tore its way out of the youngest of their group's mouth as she jumped from her position on top of him and ran around the room.

He felt the weight behind him shift a little lower – followed by something warm settling next to his ear.

"You have no idea how happy you just made her. She has basically been planning this since we got the house."

Casting his eyes to see the blonde locks settled against his head, he chuckled.

"And you're going to tell me you had nothing to do with this?"

The hum from her lips seemed non-committal at best.

"All I did was encourage her. Out of the four of us I helped the least. You probably won't be able to tell, but Blake has become extremely possessive of all of us ever since she came back, and Weiss was as adamant about this happening as Rubes was."

That confused him a little bit. Sure, he and Weiss were closer before he left than they ever were before, but he still felt that he was closer with everyone else in their group than he was with her.

"Don't think to hard about it Jauney. How about I help you get settled in before we begin the moving in tradition?"

"Tradition?"

"Pajamas, takeout and talking until the morning."

All in all, things could have been worse.

"And maybe a bit of Truth or Dare!"

And there went the evening.

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 **A/N: As you lovely people requested (or at least most of you are lovely...) here is this one-shot starting as a branch off to its own story.**

 **Clearly this is not going to be anything very action heavy or with deep plots, but if you like Slice of Life stuff I really hope you can enjoy the shenanigans that will come from this one. It will be a nice change of pace from my other projects.**

 **That being said, I do not expect to be updating this story weekly, but nor do I plan on leaving you all hanging for months at a time. You can expect at least one chapter per month and hopefully more than that should time allow. This is a side project to a side project though, so unless this just destroys the original in terms of readership then I don't expect that to change.**

 **Now here is how you guys need to help me out.**

 **I have been working on the second chapter basically since the original posted, but just cannot nail down a way to continue the story. This is my first time doing an expansion on something in this genre and it is taking its toll.**

 **So what I need you all to do is review this and send me PMs with ideas on how the girls should interact with Jaune. Things like how should Blake react when she returns? Will Weiss be glad to see him after so long? How badly will Nora break his legs when he finally goes to visit them? (Not really that last one cause we all know the answer, but I digress.)**

 **It can be anything silly, serious, fun or whatever. Doesn't matter to me, though keep in mind this is not going to be a story jumping thing like In Which Jaune (the one-shot series) and will all be happening in the same "canon" so to speak.**

 **Have at it you crazies and thanks for supporting my work! (Expect a new In Which Jaune (one-shot) soon and a brand new story I have been working on coming in the near future.**

 **-CP**


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